The Australia Zoo

A sculpture of Steve Irwin's family greets you as you enter the main gate. 

There are plenty of photo opportunities with animals here, but by far the most popular one is to take a photo with a koala bear.

A zoo worker takes a wombat out for a daily walk. 

The Crocoseum is a large stadium showcasing crocodiles in freshwater ponds.  Shows there also exhibit other animals, especially birds. 

Steve Irwin's image in ubiquitous at the zoo.

You can walk around in an open environment and touch koalas at the Koala Walkthrough. 

There are plenty of lizards to touch.

Of course, the focus of the Australia Zoo is crocodiles. 

The zoo grounds are immaculate and gorgeous. 

You can hold an alligator if you're up for it!

One of the most iconic Australians of the past twenty years in American TV culture has been the crocodile hunter, Steve Irwin, of Australia.  People know him for capturing crocodiles, handling very poisonous snakes, doing crazy dangerous stunts, and his untimely death by a stingray barb off the coast of Australia.  What people didn’t know about him was that his life was directed at expanding and preserving a wildlife park an hour north of Brisbane called the Australia Zoo. 

The Australia Zoo was opened in 1970 by Steve Irwin’s parents and initially called the Beerwah Reptile Park.  Upon opening, the site was only about the size of an acre.  As time progressed the park would expand and gain funding due to Steve Irwin’s profits from The Crocodile Hunter television series.  Today the zoo is over 100 acres and there are potential plans to expand the area to over 1,000 acres.  The zoo is now a major tourist destination and a premier park for conservation thanks to Steve Irwin’s desire to turn the zoo into an information/preservation/interaction area. 

Some of the highlights of the zoo include a 5,000 seat “Crocoseum” where shows are conducted highlighting birds, snakes, reptiles, and (of course) crocodiles, a $5 million wildlife hospital was built a few years ago making it one of the best animal hospitals in the world, and extensive exhibits including walkthroughs where you can pet kangaroos and koalas.  Tourists can even pay to interact and take pictures with almost any animal in the park.  The grounds are spotless and the zoo is one of the most impressive parks you’ll visit, but the highlight is seeing the preservation work and the belief in Steve Irwin’s vision.